1. Field of Invention
A pneumatically operated vertical clam shell mud bucket attaches to a pipe joint connection in a drill stem on a drilling rig, the mud bucket defining a first tubular section forming a half cylinder hingably attaching a second tubular section forming a mirror image half cylinder, the tubular sections forming a sealed cylinder which is forcibly closed together by a plurality of pneumatic cylinders with a composition compression material forming a liquid seal between the closed half cylinders containing drilling fluids during the drilling stem separation and connection diverting drilling fluids to an outer evacuation hose to an external recirculating system on the drilling rig.
2. Description of Prior Art
A preliminary review of prior art patents was conducted by the applicant which reveal prior art patents in a similar field or having similar use. However, the prior art inventions do not disclose the same or similar elements as the present pneumatic mud bucket, nor do they present the material components in a manner contemplated or anticipated in the prior art.
Pneumatic mud buckets are found in the drilling industry and shown in several embodiments on products advertised by Stabil Drill (http://stabildrill.com/products/pneumatic_mud_buckets/) and Sub-Drill (http://subdrill.com/mud_saver_buckets.html); U.S. Pat. No. 7,306,032 to Paton. These mud buckets perform the same function as the present mud bucket, but possess different embodiments Than that disclosed in the present invention, including the clam shell halves, the perimeter seal and the pneumatic operating system with the rear safety and operational components.
The art of mud buckets dates back to the early days of oil exploration, including an 1880 U.S. Pat. No. 234,825 to Walker, which disclosed a clasp packer to catch residual oil from pipe joints during disassembly. A hinged mud bucket was later patented under U.S. Pat. No. 1,632,889 to Davis, which was the first “clam-shell” design found during the patent search, and was designed to retain oil and to prevent oil spillage, diverting the reclaimed oil to suitable receptacles. Several other hinges section mud buckets with a mechanical clasp are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,536 to Bode, U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,905 to Crain and U.S. Pat. No. 2,096,882 to Chernosky. A mechanically operated mud bucket is also shown in U.S. Patent Application No 2011/0265992 to Pearson with a pressure system to place a positive pressure within the closed mud bucket for advanced fluid evacuation within the mud bucket. An earlier version of a pressure positive mud bucket is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,522,444 to Grable.
The present mud bucket is also a clam-shell style enclosure with two halves forming a cylinder around a pipe joint, however, in this invention, the mud bucket includes a floor and subfloor which enhance complete fluid evacuation and features a pneumatic closure system activated from the rear and side, away from the closure and also includes safety features to isolate the closure mechanism of the mud bucket from incidental contact.